According to the Benign Violation Theory, humor has its roots in potentially negative experiences (i.e., violations) that are made to seem okay in some way (i.e., benign). That makes joke telling risky because you can fail by being too benign or by creating too much of a violation.

These strategies might not turn you into the next Chris Rock or even the life of the party. But considering how humor has been shown to improve people's happiness, making life funnier, even just a little bit, is surely worthwhile.